The invention relates to an electrically operated consumable module to be inserted into a holder of an electronic appliance. The consumable module has a consumable device, electrical connecting elements which are connected thereto and which have contact elements to connect the consumable module to a consumable-module controller of the electronic appliance, and a projection to interact with the holder to prevent insertion into other types of holders. The invention relates in particular to an ink cartridge for a printing device of a franking machine.
Replaceable ink cartridges for printing devices, such as simple office printers, generally include a consumable device in the form of a print head and an ink reservoir connected thereto. Once the ink cartridge has been inserted into the appropriate holder of the printer, then the print head is connected via the electrical connecting elements to the print controller, which drives the individual printing elements of the print head to print. Such ink cartridges generally have a special geometric configuration, which ensures that the ink cartridge can be inserted only into the holders of those printers for which the ink cartridge is provided. In this case, the abovementioned projections also find their use, in order to ensure that the relevant ink cartridge can be inserted only into a holder configured as a corresponding mating piece.
If this configuration is generally used in conventional office printers to protect the user against the use of incorrect ink cartridges, that is to say those unsuitable for the corresponding printer, there are further problems or requirements in connection with franking machines, which likewise often operate with such ink cartridges.
As a rule, franking machines produce the franking imprint on the letter or item of mail to be dispatched using special ink, which is generally not available on the free market. This ink usually has a specific color and often has fluorescent characteristics or other characteristics. This is used, firstly, for the purpose of making it easier for the mail deliverer to process large quantities of mail quickly by machine through the use of such ink, which increases the detection performance of optical registration systems. A further purpose of the use of such special inks lies in making it more difficult to counterfeit franking imprints by using conventional office printers.
Not least for reasons of reduced manufacturing costs, ink cartridges which in their geometry are the same as the ink cartridges for conventional office printers and are merely filled with the aforementioned special ink have also recently been used for franking machines. However, this solution has the disadvantage that the geometry of the ink cartridge can possibly be changed relatively simply, so that after that the ink cartridge can be inserted into an appropriate office printer.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a consumable module which overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known consumable modules of this general type and which reliably prevents the use of the consumable module in an appliance not provided for the purpose.
With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, an electrically operated consumable module to be inserted into a holder of an electronic appliance, including:
a consumable device;
electrical connecting elements connected to the consumable device;
the electrical connecting elements having contact elements configured to connect the consumable device to a consumable-module controller of the electronic appliance; and
a projection configured to interact with the holder and configured to prevent an insertion into an unauthorized holder; and
the electrical connecting elements are configured such that at least some of the electrical connecting elements are at least partly destroyed in an event of an unauthorized removal of the projection and/or the electrical connecting elements are assigned to the projection such that at least some of the electrical connecting elements are at least partly destroyed in an event of an unauthorized removal of the projection.
In other words, according to the invention, there is provided an electrically operated consumable module to be inserted into a holder of an electronic appliance, in particular an ink cartridge for the printing device of a franking machine, having a consumable device, electrical connecting elements which are connected thereto and have contact elements to connect the consumable module to a consumable-module controller belonging to the appliance, and a projection to interact with the holder to prevent insertion into other types of holders, wherein the connecting elements are configured and/or assigned to the projection in such a way that they are at least partly destroyed in the event of unauthorized removal of the projection.
The present invention is based on the technical teaching that the use of the consumable module in an appliance not provided for the purpose can reliably be prevented by the connecting elements being configured and/or assigned to the projection in such a way that they are at least partly destroyed in the event of unauthorized removal of the projection. This ensures in a simple way that, in the event of removal of the projection, the feed lines between the consumable-module controller and the consumable device of the consumable module are at least partly cut off, and therefore the satisfactory operation of the consumable module after the removal of the projection is prevented.
For this purpose, the connecting elements can, for example, be mechanically connected appropriately to the projection, so that they are destroyed or damaged as soon as the latter is removed from the consumable module. The shaping and, additionally or alternately, the providing of the connecting elements can in this case be selected such that they are already correspondingly impaired during the attempt to remove the projection. In this case, it is merely necessary to ensure that the loadings which normally act on the projection in normal operation, that is to say during the normal handling of the projection and during insertion into the associated holder, do not lead to any destruction or impairment of the connecting elements.
In the case of particularly simply configured and reliably acting variants of the consumable module according to the invention, provision is made for the connecting elements to run on or in the projection, at least in some sections. This ensures, in a simple way, that the relevant connecting elements are also actually destroyed in the event of removal of the projection.
In order to prevent that the interrupted connecting elements can simply be bridged after the removal of the projection, in preferred developments of the consumable module according to the invention, provision is made for the connecting elements to be provided at least partly in the region of the projection in such a way that, between sections of the connecting elements leading to the projection and away from the projection there is an association or allocation which is transposed with respect to the straight-line association.
This means that a counterfeiter who has a recording of the control signal sequences for the consumable device cannot operate the consumable device of the consumable module with these control signal sequences, since he does not know the association between the individual control signals and the respective sections of the connecting elements which extend from the region of the projection to the consumable device. In the case of a franking machine, as a result of this lack of knowledge, a counterfeiter cannot use a control sequence recorded once for a franking imprint to produce any reproduction of this franking imprint.
In further preferred variants of the consumable module according to the invention, the connecting elements are embedded in at least one conductor foil, and the projection is associated with the conductor foil in such a way that the conductor foil is damaged, with at least partial destruction of the connecting elements, in the event of unauthorized removal of the projection.
For this purpose, the projection can, for example, be configured in such a way that it engages wholly or partly around the conductor foil, including at least one connecting element, so that the conductor foil and therefore the connecting element are damaged, for example torn, in the event of removal of the projection.
In other variants which are preferred, since they can be produced simply, the projection is firmly connected to the conductor foil, at least in some sections. This can be implemented simply, for example by the projection being adhesively bonded or welded to the conductor foil, at least in some sections.
In advantageous developments of the consumable module according to the invention, a storage device for storing consumable-module related information is provided in the projection. This can be, for example, a serial number as well as further identification information with respect to the consumable module and/or to the consumable medium contained in the consumable module. Likewise, use-related information can be stored, for example an item of information that reproduces the quantity of consumable medium already removed.
In the case of an ink cartridge for a franking machine, for example in addition to a serial number of the ink cartridge, the type and an expiry date of the ink can be stored. Likewise, an item of information with regard to the transposed assignment or allocation outlined above of the regions of the connecting elements before and after the projection can be stored. This can then be read out by the controller of the associated franking machine and then taken into account in the drive. This makes it possible to provide the ink cartridges with different assignment transpositions, in order to further reduce the probability of fraud.
The invention may be used in connection with any desired consumable modules in which it is necessary to ensure that they are not used in connection with appliances for which they are not provided. As mentioned, the invention may be used particularly advantageously in connection with franking machines, by configuring the consumable module as an ink cartridge for a franking machine.
In the case of variants of the consumable module according to the invention which are particularly advantageous, since they are highly functionally integrated, the projection has locking devices provided to interact with a locking unit on the holder. For this purpose, for example, it can have a simple ledge or the like, which interacts with a corresponding bolt on the holder.
With the objects of the invention in view there is also provided, in combination with an electronic appliance having a holder with a locking unit, an electrically operated consumable module which includes:
a consumable device;
electrical connecting elements connected to the consumable device;
the electrical connecting elements having contact elements configured to connect the consumable device to a consumable-module controller of the electronic appliance;
a projection configured to interact with the holder and configured to prevent an insertion into an unauthorized holder, the projection having locking devices configured to interact with the locking unit of the holder; and
the electrical connecting elements are configured such that at least some of the electrical connecting elements are at least partly destroyed in an event of an unauthorized removal of the projection and/or the electrical connecting elements are assigned to the projection such that at least some of the electrical connecting elements are at least partly destroyed in an event of an unauthorized removal of the projection.
With the objects of the invention in view there is also provided, an electronic appliance, in particular a franking machine, including:
a holder;
an electrically operated consumable module configured to be inserted into the holder, the electrically operated consumable module including a consumable device, electrical connecting elements connected to the consumable device, and a projection;
a controller for controlling the electrically operated consumable module;
the electrical connecting elements having contact elements configured to connect the consumable device to the controller;
the projection being configured to interact with the holder and configured to prevent an insertion into an unauthorized holder; and
the electrical connecting elements are configured such that at least some of the electrical connecting elements are at least partly destroyed in an event of an unauthorized removal of the projection and/or the electrical connecting elements are assigned to the projection such that at least some of the electrical connecting elements are at least partly destroyed in an event of an unauthorized removal of the projection.
Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a consumable module for an electronic appliance, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.